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The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.
Over the winter we took our jib sheet home and washed it in a bucket to get most of the grime off, then ran it in a mesh bag on gentle cycle in our washing machine, then allowed it to air dry. The difference is dramatic, it looks almost like new line and compared to our main sheet which is the exact same type of line it's night & day. Our halyards are similarly soiled due to our marina being in between two cement plants. I'd like to remove the halyards and clean them. It seems like I should be able to use some type of messenger line attached to the halyards so I can pull them back up over the sheaves again when I'm done.
Has anyone done this? How did you do it? Our halyards are grimy enough that your hands get black marks on them. Ideally I'd like to clean the entire halyard, but I'll be happy with just the cockpit ends of them.
David C-250 Mainsheet Editor
Sirius Lepak 1997 C-250 WK TR #271 --Seattle area Port Captain --
A messenger line properly attached should work fine. I watched a guy change out a halyard on a 45' boat last weekend using this method and he never even broke a sweat. Took him maybe 10 minutes to do the whole job.
I washed my mainsheet and genoa sheets over the winter. I put them in a mesh bag and threw them into the washer along with some clothing. They came out clean and all of the stiffness from salt/dirt build up was gone. They are Regatta line so all of the fuzziness was like new and the grip on the winches was restored. I didn't do any of my halyards but they are on the list.
A rep from West Marine said they had a presentation on that; he was saying that cleaning was the most important factor in the life of the line given that dirt cuts the fibers.
Practical Sailor had an article about rope cleaning that basically said not to use harsh chemicals, don't wash new lines and tie them in daisy chains to prevent Dhobi hitches.
Thanks for the article Alex, that's exactly what I was looking for. I have a bunch of nylon shot cord already (the pink or yellow stuff you can buy by the 500' spindle), but I worry about it jumping the sheave at the top of the mast, so I'll look for something a bit heavier to use.
If you're patient (or a mental patient!!!), you can tie the halyard ends together and place a bucket of warm soapy water at the base of your mast. You can wash your halyards in sections using a scrub brush and dish washing detergent or laundry soap in the bucket. Wash one section at a time from one end to the other, then rinse. Repeat. Doing both the main and foresail halyards simultaneously can save you time.
Or you can tie on and run a messenger line (cheap 1/4" nylon should do) and use a mesh bag and washing machine approach. May be quicker and more satisfying, however the Admiral takes a dim view of boat stuff mucking up the washing machine!
Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ. The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.